Winter of the Worlds

By Ken Follett

In the second book of the Trilogy, Ken Follett details the lives of the offspring from the first novel.  The book is set in the time of the Second World War, which includes details leading up to and through the conclusion of the war.  He artfully sets events in motion, and details history by giving a face to the problem.  The spread of Fascism is much more tangible and relatable when we are scared what will happen to Maud and her children.  Once again, Follett does a wonderful job of teaching history to the reader.  He not only provides an interesting story with very relatable characters, but also one that makes the events of the world at this point in time easy to grasp.

One of the first events in the book demonstrates the progressive takeover of the Nazi regime.  Ethel and her son Lloyd are visiting Maud and her family in Germany.  During this visit, the Nazis raid and shut down the local paper where Maud works, and persecute Robert Von Ulrich and his partner Jörg.  The Nazi regime continues to gain ground and political power, with Adolph Hitler ultimately leading the country as Dictator.  Through the eyes’ of Maud’s family; we witness Jewish persecution, family schism due to nationalism, the economic effect of war on the German people, and many other tough situations.  It was very real and understandable why the characters behaved the way they did because of Follett’s wonderful writing.  In a point I have beaten to death with my previous review of Fall of Giants, Follett does a terrific job with character development which fosters the readers’ empathy.

On the English side, the three families are the Leckwiths, Williams’ and Fitzherberts.  The Fitzherberts still languish in luxury, and Boy Fitzherbert is being groomed as heir to the estate.  He is being educated at the best schools, and is very active politically.  This garners the attention of American Daisy Peshkov, Lev Peshkovs daughter, who is very attracted to the wealth and power of upper class life.  Lloyd Williams is also pursuing his education in Europe, and later becomes involved in the Spanish Civil War with his cousin Dave Williams.  The accounts from the Spanish Civil War are some of the most memorable parts of this book.  Without revealing any surprises, these events had me shocked at the injustice and on the edge of my seat in suspense.

I felt that the American families in this book took a larger role this time around.  Gus Dewar, and more notably his son Woody are major characters.  Woody gravitates towards politics like his father, while younger brother Chuck ultimately joins the Navy.  Follett focuses his attention on The Great Depression, socioeconomical unrest, and events leading to American involvement in World War II.  It was interesting to relearn all the events that almost resulted in America entering the war effort, and how much we tried to avoid it. 

As I write this review, I realize how complex and intertwined the characters of this book are.  It would be impossible to describe each family, each member of the family, their love interests, etc. without consistently referencing back to previous parts of my review.  I don’t consider myself someone who can easily follow a multitude of characters, as well as their motives.  To this note, it is probably the reason I don’t often gravitate towards this style of writing.  In this case, I found that it worked well, even if I truthfully did not always know who the author was talking about for several pages.  As with Fall of Giants, this book was a refreshing and not heavy handed history lesson featuring relatable and well developed characters.  I would highly recommend this book for those of you who are interested in historical fiction, or anyone who (like myself) felt as though they had forgotten much of their American history. 

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 Bunsen Burners

Up Next: The Given Day by Dennis Lehane